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The BEST Crinkle Top Brownies.
Watch the How To Video:
Because there is a lot to celebrate today, and because it’s FRIDAY…and because everyone knows that Friday’s deserve chocolate.
So if there was ever a classic brownie recipe to have in your back pocket, it’s this one. Trust me on this. They remind me of the brownies I’d eat as a kid, and I’m really not sure there’s anything better. These are light, a little fudgy, extra chocolate flavor, perfectly sweet, and they have the most flakey, crinkly top ever. Oh my gosh, SO GOOD.
Before I dive into the delicious details, let me explain the reason I am sharing them.
As most of you know by now, my younger brother Red took home his first Olympic gold medal last week in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle in PyeongChang, South Korea. If you missed my recap post, you can read part one here and part two here. I said from the start that I wasn’t going to make any fancy Olympic themed food. One, because I am not good with decorating food in fancy ways, and two, because I just didn’t have any great ideas.
That said, after returning home from Korea last week, I felt the need to create a recipe that I knew Red would love. I mean, he did win GOLD, so a celebratory dessert is certainly in order. Right?
Yes, yes, yes. For sure.
Here’s the thing, Red’s a semi picky eater, and doesn’t like anything fancy. His favorite desserts are Special K-Bars (cookbook recipe), chocolate chip cookies, and brownies.
I have a lot of brownie recipes on HBH, but I don’t have one brownie recipe Red would actually eat. Red likes his brownies simple. Chocolate, no frosting, maybe some powdered sugar, and preferably eaten slightly warm. So basically the brownies my mom would make us when we were kids. The ones that came straight out of the Betty Crocker box.
Not going to lie, I loved them too…which is why I am SO excited about these brownies. I really cannot stress enough just how good they are.
When I set out to make these crinkle top brownies, I thought for sure that I’d make them first try and they’d be perfect. I think I felt so confident because I’ve made a hundred and one brownie recipes. But guys, I tested these brownies over and over and over. It was so important to me that they would have the perfect texture, not be dense or cakey, and have the most flakey, crinkly top.
They needed to be perfect, just like the ones I remember eating as a kid with my brothers.
It took a while, used up a lot of eggs…and even more butter.
Like two full days of testing, way over a dozen eggs, probably pounds of butter. Six batches later (possibly more, I lost count), I finally got them right. My freezer is now full of brownies. It’s awesome and very dangerous.
So what’s the secret to that perfect texture and crinkly top?
Real melted chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a good amount of whisked eggs.
The chocolate is obvious, but the whisked eggs? You need those to create that crinkly top. Whisking the eggs prior to mixing them in the brownie batter creates air within the eggs that helps to create that crinkly top. It might seem like an unnecessary step, and a waste of a clean bowl, but just trust me on this, it’s what makes these brownies great.
While that and all the semi-sweet chocolate…and butter.
YUMMMMMM.
Red has yet to try these brownies, seeing as he’s still in South Korea, but I’m feeling pretty confident that he’s going to love them.
Speaking of Red, he is competing one last time tonight in Men’s Snowboard Big Air, alongside two of his USA teammates, Kyle Mack and Chris Corning. Kyle is a super close friend of the family, who’s honestly almost like another brother. Pretty excited for the both of them, but I have my fingers crossed for Kyle on this one, as Big Air is much more his event. Make sure to watch tonight at 8pm EST on NBC!
Annnddddd with that, I’m thinking these brownies are the perfect chocolate treat to eat while cheering the boys on.
Lastly, if you make these Crinkle Top Brownies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crinkle Top Brownies
Servings: 20 brownies
Calories Per Serving: 252 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper.2. In the microwave, melt together the butter and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (stir at 30 second intervals) until melted and smooth. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and instant coffee. 3. In a small bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute until bubbly on top. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mix. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.3. Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool (or not) and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
*For extra thick brownies, bake them in a 9×9 inch square baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
The BEST, enough said.
This post was originally published on February 23, 2018
Classic done BEYOND the best indeed!
Love love love!
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
These brownies were delicious! I’m usually disappointed when I make homemade brownies (I’m someone who loves them out of the box), but there were incredible. I had to bake them a few minutes longer than the 30 minutes since they were so gooey. Can’t wait to make a cream cheese version of these.
Found this recipe thanks to Cupcakes & Cashmere! Now am a big fan and have bought your cookbooks. Thanks for the reminder on freezing — already put half in to resist temptation!
Haha I am so happy these turned out so well for you, Katie! I hope you are loving the books and continue to enjoy the recipes on my site! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Amazing!! Quarantine has me baking all-day-everyday!! These are definitely the best!
It is such a great thing to be doing during all of this though! Such a stress relief. I am really glad you loved these brownies, Christina! Thank you! xTieghan
I halved the recipe and used gluten free flour. Came out great! The top wasn’t as crinkled but tasted delicious!
Thank you so much Anna! xTieghan
My first time baking ever, and this is hands down the most simple recipe to follow! The brownies were the most perfect texture and the coffee indeed enhanced the flavour of the chocolate. Big hit amongst all my friends and family :)! Can’t wait to try other recipes on this blog.
Thank you so much Shah! I hope you continue to enjoy the recipes you try of mine! xTieghan
These are perfect! They taste like classic brownies, but adding the coffee gives it a really nice kick!
Thank you Marit! xTieghan
Hey there – was so excited to finally try non-box brownies! I followed this recipe to a T, baking 9×9 pan, and even after ~50 min I still wasn’t seeing the crinkle and it wasn’t even cooked through! Anything I should watch out for next time? Eggs were room temp and everything.
Hi Kate,
So sorry you had issues with the brownies. Mixing the eggs really well is KEY for the crinkle top. The recipe does call for a 9×13 pan, so using a 9×9 pan will definitely increase your baking time. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Making these tonight!! If I bake in a 10” skillet, would you recommend halving the recipe? Any other recommendations for baking in a skillet?
Thanks ?
Hi Maureen,
So sorry but I have not tested this in a skillet so I am unsure how it will turn out, but yes you can halve the recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I have tried lots of Brownie recipes and this is by far the best. Came out perfect, fudgy and not to forget with crinkle top! Thanks a lot.
Thank you for trying this one! I am so happy to hear that this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These are the best brownies I’ve ever made! I am the first to admit to using box brownie mix to make things easy but these take 5 minutes longer to prepare and are 10000x better. It is going to take everything in me to not eat this entire pan. The pregnancy cravings are real!
Love that!! Thank you so much Caroline! xTieghan
I do not understand how these could possibly be cooked in 30 minutes in a 9×13 glass dish. I did 30 minutes and have continued to check on them every five minutes for an additional 25 minutes and they still don’t seem to be done. I’m hoping at this point they will carry over while they cool down but I am so frustrated.
Hi Kirsten!
I am really sorry to hear that! I would love to help you out on this! Is there anything that could have been changed? xTieghan
These were amazing!!
Thank you so much Sana! xTieghan
Hello! Has anyone tried replacing the flour with gluten free 1-1 mix?
Hi Anna! I have not, but I would recommend cup4cup if you would like to try it! I hope you enjoy! xTieghan
i used the kitchenaid mixer and these came out really airy and fell apart on me. should i just hand mix it? thanks in advance!
Hi Joanna,
So sorry you had issues with the brownies, but yes I would highly recommend to simply mix by hand next time. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Making these for the third time! Hands down, best brownie recipe out there. Honestly Tieghan, there isn’t a recipe of yours that I have not liked or had to adjust in any way. Thank you so much!!
Thank you Preet! I am really glad you enjoyed this one so much! xTieghan